Axillary micrometastasis and macrometastasis in carcinoma of the breast

A retrospective analysis was made of 105 patients with primary operable carcinoma of the breast with positive axillary nodes who had been observed for a 14 year period after radical mastectomy. Patients with micrometastasis alone, especially if only level I is involved, have a good prognosis with 85 and 77 percent survival rates at ten and 14 years, respectively. No patients had more than three micrometastases. Patients with four or more positive nodes have a much worse prognosis than do those with three or less positive nodes. Macrometastasis at any level carries a poor prognosis. Since these data show no significant difference between the 10 and 14 year survival rates, the 10 year survival rate is, therefore, a valid one for long term evaluation of the treatment of carcinoma of the breast.